A Thoughtful Choice
by KeepCalmAndLove
Summary: Ohara is one of L's successors, rarely thought of since Mello and Near outshine her. After L's death, she travels to Japan and meets Light. But there is more to her than meets the eye. Will Light figure it out?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"What is it Roger?" Mello asks him. Roger's face is down-turned. 'Something must have happened to them.' "It's L. He's...dead." Mello takes a sharp breath. "What was that? Roger...what did you just say?!" Mello's voice becomes angrier by the minute.

"I'm afraid L is dead." Mello gasps, I try to hold back the singular tear, but Near continues his puzzle. Mello leans over the desk towards Roger. "He...he's dead? But how?"

"Kira." I whisper. "Was it Kira? Did Kira kill him? Come on Roger, you've got to tell me!"

"Probably." Roger says quietly. "But he told me himself that he would find Kira and execute him! And now you're telling me he's dead!" Mello grabs ahold of Roger's shirt collar. "Mello." I say to him. Mello snaps out of it and looks at me just as Near dumps his puzzle on the ground.

"If you can't win the game...if you can't solve the puzzle...then you're just a loser." Typical Near. Saying something that would only make sense to him, L, or myself. Near starts to put his puzzle back together and Mello turns back to Roger.

"So, which of us did he pick? Me, Near, or Ohara?" Roger's face turns down even more. "I'm afraid he still hadn't chosen yet." _'Figures. Out of all three of us, it was a difficult choice. Mello had perfect deduction skills, but unfortunately, his emotions tended to get the better of him. Near was almost exactly like L, but to the point where he couldn't think of his own opinions, just of what L would do. He was unoriginal. Then...there was me. A completely different species than those two.'_

"And now that he is gone, he won't be able to."_ 'Duh. Awful hard to choose when you're dead.'_ "Listen you three, couldn't you work together?"

"Alright. Sounds good." Near agrees. "I'm fine with it." I say. But Mello looks absolutely horrified. Not like that's surprising. "It'll never work, Roger. We can't do this together. You know that I don't get along with Near. We've always competed with each other. Always." I furrow my brow, frustrated at the fact that once again, Mello has counted me out of the race.

Silence passes. The wind blows against the institution's walls. "You know what? It's fine." Roger looks up at Mello. "Near should be the one to succeed L." I scowl. _'Why shouldn't he count me in? I'm just as good as him and L_.' "He's not like me. He never gets emotional. He just used his head. Like it's a game or a puzzle." At that moment, Near finishes his puzzle, all white except for the black L in the corner.

"And as for me, I'm leaving this institution." My head shoots up. 'You won't survive out there Mello. Not without us.' Mello turns around and begins to walk towards the door. Roger stand up. "Wait. Mello!"

"Don't waste your breath. I'm almost fifteen years old. It's time I started living my own life." Mello exits and shuts the door to the office quietly. Roger looks at me desperately. "Ohara, please, can you-"

"Go after him? No." Roger inhales slightly. "Why not? You know that Mello won't make it on his own."

"Yes. I'm aware of that." I say as I begin to feel the surface of a ruby red apple. "But, I also believe he is right. Mello needs to form his own opinions. As for myself, I'm tired of everyone forgetting about me except when they need to use me as an errand girl. L also considered making me his predecessor. I'm also leaving, I'm going to find out who Kira is. Goodbye Roger. Goodbye Near. Don't get yourselves killed."

I pick up the apple and walk out of the door, out of Wammy's House, and out of the only place I've ever known. "That was a bold move. What are you going to do now?" Umayo asks me. "I'm going to use my abilities, and find Kira."

...

That was over a year ago. Near went to work with the SPK. Mello went with the American Mafia. Me? Well I decided to go where L thought Kira was hiding. Japan.

L and Watari had been working with the NPA to track down Kira. Umayo had been able to find all of the hotels L had stayed at. After checking all of the rooms he stayed in, I'd come out with another clue. Finally, when I checked the last hotel, I found the final clue. They all formed a letter.

'Dear Successor,  
If you are reading this letter, it means that I have been killed by Kira. I suspect someone from the task force that I investigated Kira closely with is Kira. The person who I think is Kira, is Light Yagami. By now, he has taken the position as the second L, being that I was never able to choose. Beware, he is in the presence of a shinigami, a Japanese god of death.'

I pause for a second._ 'God of death? Umayo.'_ I continue reading.

'Light has taken a death note from this shinigami. With it, he can kill anyone by simply writing down his victim's name and picturing their face. Now, in order to arrest Light, you need to join the Japanese task force. Use a fake name. Hopefully, you won't perish before Light is brought to justice. Please, stop him. Before it's too late.

Sincerely, L.'

That's the end of the letter. L's last request. Near and Mello don't know about the note. And they never will. I pull out the lighter in my pocket and burn the letter slowly. Once it's nothing but ash, I get up and exit the room.

"So...what did you find out?" Umayo asks. "A shinigami dropped their death note in the human world. And Light Yagami picked it up. He's Kira. I'm sure of it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Light's POV:

"Isn't it marvelous, Ryuk?" The shinigami stopped munching on his apple long enough to pay attention. "What? Sorry, didn't hear that."

"Kira has gained support. Soon, the entire world will accept my rule as law. They will know that someone is watching out for them, serving divine justice." A maniacal grin spread across my face at the thought of it.

The New World, where I was God, free of crime, where only good and kind people lived. L had said it was a childish idea. But he was wrong, and now he's dead for defying Kira.

"Soon, Ryuk. Soon the whole world will now to Kira."

Ohara's POV:

"Light Yagami. Son of Soichiro Yagami, one of the detectives working on the Kira case."_ 'That would be why he knew so much about the Kira investigation.'_

"Always been best in the nation, good athlete, did the best on his college entrance exams and graduated from the police academy at the top of his class. In other words, a true genius. And a show off."

Umaya floats by. "Sure, sounds really interesting. Now, can you hand me that-" I hand her the apple before she can finish the sentence. She squeals in pleasure and begins to chomp down on the apple.

I begin to eat an apple myself and continue to read about who L thought was Kira. "He's currently living at the Hampha Apartment Complex."_ 'That's where he must be conducting his killings from.'_

"Jeez. It's scary to see how much you humans put on the internet about yourselves. His address is right there for everyone to see! Someone could easily sneak into his place when he wasn't home and steal the Death Note."

I chuckle a little bit at how little Umaya knows of the world. "It's just the way we are. We're very social creatures that are extremely open with this kind of stuff. Besides, with Kira running around and killing criminals, no one would dare rob someone's home. And I hardly believe that someone try to steal the Death Note from him if they don't even know it exists."

"Eh, I guess you're right. Can you?" I sigh and hand her another apple. "You should really slow down on the apples. Savor it, don't just wolf it down."

"Yeah, yeah." I roll my eyes at her and look back at Light's profile. _'You seem so intelligent. Yet when I look, it says that you are currently living with your girlfriend Misa Amane. Looking at her profile, she's nothing but an airhead. Seems to me that you would want someone more bright that her. She must have something that you want, otherwise you'd never be with her.'_

"Why are you just reading about him? Shouldn't you be trying to find Task Force Headquarters?"_ 'Umaya has always been one for action.'_ "I need to learn about him to know his weaknesses. If he starts to feel trapped or cornered, he'll lash out and kill more people. Innocent people."

Umaya pouted and crossed her arms. "Don't worry, I'll be finished with my studies tonight and by tomorrow, we'll know where Task Force Headquarters are." Her expression didn't change at all._ 'Oh well. Can't please everyone.'_

...

From my deductions, I figured that headquarters was at Light's apartment, taken that they couldn't work from the old one that L had paid for, that would be too obvious, and that he was the new L. Climbing up the six flights of stairs(I never really liked elevators) I stand in front of the door to his apartment.

'_Now, according to their schedules, also found online, Misa should be doing a photo shoot. The task force usually meets when she's gone. Let's hope this is one of their meetings.'_ I knock on the door.

Light's POV:

We're just in the middle of a task force meeting when someone knocked at the door. "Matsuda." He looks up at me. "Yes Light?"

"Go get the door." I order him. His face turns down slightly, but he complies and gets up to go answer the door. Matsuda had been annoying lately. He always had, but after I saw him attempting to flirt with my sister, it was amped up.

Ohara's POV:

A man who seems to be only one or two years older than me with dark hair and warm brown eyes answers the door. He slightly gapes at me, but then remembers that he needs to talk. "Um, hi! Can I help you?"

"Actually, yes. I'm here to see a light Yagami." The man's eyes widen a little. "Yeah, he's right this way." He leads me down the hallway into a common room. A group of men sit around a coffee table.

'_The task force.'_ Light Yagami stands up. "Matsuda, who is this?" Before Matsuda can answer, I speak. "Hello, my name is O, and I'm here to help you with the Kira investigation."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Light's POV:

We stared at the girl who said that she was here to help us with the Kira investigation. She was thin and willowy, petite. Her hair was long, black, and pinned back in some sort of braid. Cute, pretty some might say, but there was something about her that was unnerving.

O went right ahead to make herself comfortable, plopping down on the seat next to Aizawa, stealing one of Ryuk's apples and taking a large bite out of it. "She's stealing my apples!" Ryuk screamed. _'Quiet Ryuk.'_

O swallowed her bite of apple. I kept studying her, trying to find out why I found her so unnerving. She had dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't been sleeping for weeks. But, her silver pupils were also dilated and her eyes were big, giving her a doll-like look.

She almost reminded me of...no, it couldn't be. But maybe...no, no, it simply wasn't possible. "Excuse me, but why are you here?" Aizawa asked her. O swallowed another bite of her apple. "Are you deaf, Detective Aizawa? I'm here to help you with the Kira investigation."

'_How does she know Aizawa's name?'_ "How do you know Aizawa's name?" Matsuda, always saying what everyone else is thinking. O decided at that moment to take another bite of her apple. She held out a finger to us and swallowed.

"Because I am an excellent detective. You are Matsuda, Mogi, Ide, and you two are Soichiro and Light Yagami." O says, going down the line. She takes another bite of her apple. Swallowing it, she looks directly at me. "You, Light Yagami, are a winner. You graduated at the top of your class, top of your country, did the best on the college entrance exams, you are an excellent athlete, always Mister Popular, and graduated at the top of your class from the Police Academy, becoming a detective only six months later. And you, Light Yagami, are Kira."

Ohara's POV:

They all stared at me as I took another bite of my apple. "Being a little bold there, aren't we?" Umaya whispers in my ear. _'Quiet, Umaya.'_ "Ohara, can I please have an apple?" She whispers again to me. I shake my head slightly, just enough to tell her no, but not enough for the others to see.

Umaya sighs, and decides to play around._ 'Don't do anything reckless.'_ The men continue to stare at me, probably all wondering why a second person is accusing Light of being Kira.

The opening of the apartment door distracts everyone. "Light!" A young woman with blonde hair and blue contacts comes in. She's scantily clad and not concerned with the men in the room. "Light, what do you want for dinner?"

Misa stops in her tracks when she sees me. The jealousy begins to fill her eyes, but she tries to remain looking happy. "Light." She says through her teeth. "Who is this?"

I get up, walk over to her, and stick out my hand to her. "Hello, Miss Amane, I am O. I am here to help with the Kira investigation. And you are the second Kira." Misa just stares at my hand as though it carried a disease that was contagious.

Light gets up, grabs my wrist, whirls me around and pins me against the wall. "Who do you think you are?! What makes you think that you can come in here and just accuse us of something so awful?! How-"

Light is cut off by Umaya, who pulls him back by his shirt. She pulls out a page of her Death Note that I had given to her and touches him with it.

Light's POV:

My eyes widen as I stare up at the shinigami. She was skeletal, like Rem, but had a skull for a face. Her face was elaborately painted, it reminded me of the sugar skulls that were used in the Mexican holiday. In fact, her whole body was painted and encrusted with jewels. Her white hair fell down past her waist and a crown of blue roses sat atop her head.

The shinigami stared into my eyes with her empty sockets. "Light Yagami, I would not threaten O. After all, she is more than you could ever dream to be."

"Umaya, stand down. Don't want to harm Kira, do you?" I grit my teeth. "I'm not Kira!"

O looks at me, her silver eyes penetrating my soul. "You do not have a life span." My eyes widen. "That, and your shinigami is standing over there."

Everyone's eyes widen at this. And the question on everyone's mid is_, 'Who, or what, is this girl?'_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

They all stare at me, dumbfounded and speechless. I pick up another apple and hand it to Umaya. She grins eerily at me before she practically swallows it whole.

The shinigami in the corner becomes a little pissed off. "Light! Why are you just standing there?! She's taking my apples and giving them to another shinigami!"

"Well if you want your apples, why don't you just take them?" I ask him, making him pause in the middle of his hissy fit. "Wait a minute...you can see me?"

"Yes. And I can hear you too. Nice to meet you Ryuk." Once again, the men become stunned. The other young man, Matsuda, blinks rapidly and begins to wave his hands around. "Wait, wait. How can you see him? I couldn't see him until I touched that stupid Death Note. And I'm pretty sure that you haven't come into contact with it. So...how?"

I smirk at him. "My secret, Matsuda. Besides, shouldn't you be more concerned that Light doesn't have a life span?" I took a bite out of the apple.

Light scoffs, panic flashing briefly across his face. "Come on. Do you really believe her? Unless she made the eye deal, she can't see anything."

I swallow the bite of apple I had been chewing. "You don't know everything, Light. Shinigami are a more complex race than you think."

Light narrows his eyes at me, knowing that I had basically told him that his knowledge was inferior. The tension in the room builds until it's broken by the ringing of the telephone.

The men look to each other, Soichiro stands up, walks over to the phone, and answers it. "Yes. I understand. We're on our way."

Before the men even have the chance to become confused as to what they (we) have to do, I've already figured it out. "Come on gentlemen. The chief of police has been kidnapped and I know who did it."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"What do you mean the chief of police has been kidnapped?" Matsuda asks/yells at me. "Obviously someone has kidnapped the chief in order to exchange him for that Death Note of yours, Light." I say to him.

Light snarls at me and turns to Misa who has been quiet for a while. "Misa, can you wait here. We have to go." A pouty look crosses Misa's face before it becomes bright and bubbly again. "Okay, Light. But when you get home, I'll have a surprise for you."

Panic mixed with horror flashes in Light's eyes, but it's subtle enough that no one but me notices. "That's great. Can we go now?" I ask impatiently.

The men turn and slightly glare at me. "Why should we trust you?" Aizawa asks me. "Because, like I told you earlier, I know who kidnapped him. And I also know someone who can help us."

The men look at Soichiro, then Light, then me. "You promise to help us?" Soichiro asks hesitantly. "Yes." I reply.

He sighs. "Okay. Let's go."

...

Matsuda fumbles with the wires that are connected to the web cam. "Here." I say, leaning over him. His face turns pink. "Uh...uh...thanks."

"You're welcome." I tell him as I plug in the last wire. I type in the number and wait. The web cam rings three times before it's picked up.

The letter N appears on the screen, and I know that they see an L, but I don't see the need for such masks to hide behind. "Near, it's me. Ohara."

Light's POV:

'_So that's her name. But is it her real one?_'

Ohara's POV:

The N on the screen flickers and disappears. "Cut the L." I say to Matsuda, who fumbles around for a minute until he finally completes his task. The masks are down, but the faces behind them are still not showing themselves.

"Near, I know you're there, come out." Near shifts in front of the screen, he looks exactly the same as when I saw him a year ago. "Ohara, it's so nice to see you."

"You too. How are the Americans treating you?" Near shrugs. "They're alright, but their supply of toys sucks."

I inwardly chuckle at Near. "Listen, Near, the reason I called you is because-"

"-Mello has kidnapped the chief of police. I know." I smirk at Mr. Know It All. "I'm going to guess that you'll need help on this one."

"I just need you to tell me where Mello is." Near hesitates, the smirk on his face faltering. "You don't know where he is, do you?"

Near nods his head and I sigh. "Well, if we can't contact him, we'll have to wait for him to contact us." The image of Near flickers and flashes off. Speaking of the devil, the phone rings. "Answer it." I order the men.

Aizawa moves to get it. "Hello?" He's quiet for a moment, listening to the person on the other line. "I understand. Can you send me a picture?"

The screen beeps as a file appears on the desktop. Matsuda clicks on it, and an image of the chief clicks up. He's dead. "Put it on speaker." I tell Aizawa.

He looks at me suspiciously and presses the button. "Now since our original hostage wasn't cooperating, we had to put him down."

It's Mello's voice, and by the slight lilt in it, I can tell he's lying. They never intended for the chief to die, so Kira must have done it. Light must have written his name down on a piece of the Death Note on the ride here.

"But in his place, we decided to take someone else. Someone that you all should be familiar with." A new image flashes on the screen.

Light and Soichiro gasp. A girl who looks about two to three years younger than me is held in a basement, chained to the wall by her wrists. She has a gag in her mouth, her brown hair is matted and her chocolate eyes are wide and filled with tears.

"Sayu!" Soichiro shouts. My eyes dart over to Light. "Mello." I say. "Mello, it's okay to speak."

"Ohara? Is that you?"

"Yes it is. Mello, just turn the girl over and tell me where you are. No one will get hurt, okay? Just tell me where you are."

"No!" He shouts from the other end. "This is my chance to beat Near!" I growl slightly. "For once in your life, put away your stupid obsession with outsmarting Near and do the right thing for once!" I shout back at him.

There's a pause. "You're working with him. Aren't you?" When I don't answer him, he growls. "Fine then. He's the great detective. He can help you find me. When you do, I want the Death Note. Better hurry though. Sayu's clock is ticking."

The line goes dead.


End file.
